The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says the report of the eight-man panel of inquiry set up by Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, which affirmed that Mmesoma Ejikeme manipulated her 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result from 249 to 362, has vindicated the board.

JAMB said the report also reinforced the position of the examination body that its system was not and cannot be compromised.

The board said this in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, on Saturday, July 8, 2023.

Benjamin said: “For the benefit of those who are still doubting the capacity of Ms. Mmesoma to commit this egregious crime and those who are pushing the narrative that the girl is just 16 years old even against all available data that indicate her age as an adult of 19 years, Ms. Mmesoma has owned up to committing the heinous infraction, which was carefully crafted to destroy the very foundation of one of the nation’s agencies charged with the critical role of apportioning the limited educational resource of the nation based on fairness equity and integrity.

“It is, therefore, highly regrettable that some Nigerians, who do not believe in the strength and resourcefulness of their nation’s institutions, would latch on to any opportunity to pull the Board down to their level of perfidy.

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“One vital lesson that Nigerians should learn from the imbroglio, is to learn to appreciate the genuine efforts of their critical national institutions to chart the course of national rebirth. Hence, this attitude of attacking everything that makes the nation proud even by people who should know better, is disheartening. The flip side of this is to infer that some ethnic jingoists had perhaps been elevated to public office and recognition beyond their mental and emotional capacity.

“The Board would continue to be guided by the principles of inclusiveness and fairness as demonstrated by its seamless and unprompted deployment of a dedicated software called the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS), which not only eliminates human interference in the admission process, but also engenders equity, fairness, transparency to all as we do not know tribe or religion.

“The public is assured of our unwavering commitment to upholding sanctity of the fabric of the nation’s educational system hence our resolve to always deliver credible and fair assessment remains unshaken.”

The JAMB spokesman further urged Nigerians, who may wish to award scholarships and other honours to deserving candidates not to be discouraged but should always verify from the examination body, “no matter how innocuous, put forward by candidates”.

He equally warned candidates writing the UTME to shun fraudulent Apps used to enhance scores, saying the end result would always be anguish and misery.

Benjamin, who commended the Anambra State Government for “its patriotic and unbiased posture all through the period of the national challenge”, added that the Mmesoma case should serve as “an eye-opener, especially to those who hold the view that anything goes in Nigeria”.

“Ours is a great agency with great potential, which requires everybody’s collective and patriotic support as no nation develops beyond the wishes and trust of its people,” he stressed.

The JAMB spokesperson, therefore, congratulated a student of Deeper Life High School, Mowe in Ogun State, Kamyosikwu Chinyere Uche, on her emergence as the best scorer in the 2023 UTME.

The Star